My New Home: Mid-Century House Retains Original Charm

Emily Adams Keplinger
Updated ·5 min read
Thompson and Katie love their mid-century modern home.
Thompson and Katie love their mid-century modern home.

Katie Mars and Thompson Ferguson were living in a condominium they said was really meant for just one person. Katie bought it in 2017, about nine months before meeting Thompson at a birthday party. Thompson owned a home in Lakeland which, at the time, was a long commute to both of their jobs.

Now Katie is a partner at local design studio Pretty Useful Co. and Thompson works in sales and accounting at Active Bolt & Screw, a fastener and industrial hardware distributor in Downtown Memphis. So when they got married, they sold Thompson’s house and both lived in the condo, with four cats and one dog.

The mid-century home, with approximately 2,400 square feet of living space, was built in 1955.
The mid-century home, with approximately 2,400 square feet of living space, was built in 1955.

“We were getting very cramped and knew that we needed more space,” said Katie. “We really wanted a home with mid-century-style features. We wanted to find one that had not been updated much so we could make it the way we wanted.”

Their new home needed to be one story because of Katie’s knee problems. The condo they were living in was two stories, so they wanted to find a forever home that could accommodate her long-term. Since Katie mostly works from home now, having a dedicated office space was a must. And having a dedicated space for Thompson’s hobbies was also at the top of their list. And, they wanted an extra bedroom that could be used as a guest room.

With the exception of the updated stainless-steel appliances and the new paint scheme, the kitchen appears much as it did in 1955 when the home was built.
With the exception of the updated stainless-steel appliances and the new paint scheme, the kitchen appears much as it did in 1955 when the home was built.

“We also wanted a larger living space, and a kitchen that was sized for entertaining because we love hosting movie nights for friends,” explained Katie. “And we wanted to have a large backyard for our dog, who up to this point had only a courtyard to run around in.”

When the couple was ready to house hunt they turned to Katie’s mother, Jan Mars, an agent with Keller-Williams Realty. The couple paid $330,000 for their mid-century home, with approximately 2,400 square feet of living space. The house offered four bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms.

The den features the original brick that surrounds the fireplace.  This room is often referred to as the music room, with a rack full of guitars and a storage unit featuring a vinyl record collection and a turntable.
The den features the original brick that surrounds the fireplace. This room is often referred to as the music room, with a rack full of guitars and a storage unit featuring a vinyl record collection and a turntable.

“Our home was built in 1955 and the previous owners moved here in 1961,” said Katie. “The first thing we noticed was how well maintained the home was, despite not being updated anytime recently. It also had really great bones, as well as a great layout that had a back bedroom off the kitchen that would make the perfect office space for me, away from the rest of the house.”

Thompson added, “The condo Katie previously purchased was also a fixer upper, so the fact that this house was outdated did not deter us from the potential we knew the home had. Katie’s grandparents had an amazing wood paneled den when she was growing up, so the den in this house made her feel very nostalgic. We knew we wanted to keep the style (i.e., original flooring, untouched paneling, untouched brick fireplace) and that we could make it into a really special place. Now the den is our favorite room in the house. We also love the large backyard and can’t wait to host outdoor cookouts this summer.”

The living room is spacious and features comfortable seating, a large flatscreen TV, and plenty of storage.
The living room is spacious and features comfortable seating, a large flatscreen TV, and plenty of storage.

“Our former home, the condo, was also a very unique and cool place, with two stories of windows in the living room.” said Katie. “It was an adjustment for us moving here because there’s a lot less natural light than in the condo. But there is also so much more space here, and it has a dedicated attic which we’ve never had before. In the condo our ‘laundry room’ was the coat closet right by the front door, so having a dedicated laundry room has been really nice. And we really appreciate having the storage of a walk-in closet.”

“We closed at the end of November and immediately went to the house to take up the carpet to check for hardwood floors, which turned out to be in great condition,” recalled Katie. They also stripped the wallpaper in eight rooms and removed all the fixtures/light plates/electrical plates and fan vents. They hired someone to install recessed lighting in most rooms and paint all the walls, ceilings and surfaces, apart from the wood paneled den. They also replaced all the light fixtures, plates and cleaned/restored the hardwood floors. Katie shared, “When we went to take down the wallpaper in the back powder room, we discovered the walls were actually made of plywood. So we had sheetrock put up and replaced the flooring, sink/vanity and toilet. Taking down all the wallpaper was actually a relatively fun experience, literally peeling back the layers of the house. The bedrooms were classic 1960s colors, like Easter egg yellow and mint green, and the wallpaper in the hall bathroom actually had tiny fried eggs in the pattern.”

The primary bedroom is colorful with complimentary colors on the walls and in the draperies.
The primary bedroom is colorful with complimentary colors on the walls and in the draperies.

“We just replaced the roof and we are scheduled to have an automatic driveway gate installed for added security and to help corral our dog,” said Thompson. “We’re also having the exterior wood of the house repaired and painted a darker brown color, and we’re replacing the gutters. We have no plans of ever painting the brick. It’s a really cool pink color you never see anymore, and we want to preserve the history of the house while adding our own personality. We are also planning to gut and redo the hallway bathroom soon.”

Thompson continued, “Eventually we want to build out the backyard to include a dedicated grilling area, a fire pit and more outdoor living space, potentially in what is currently our carport.”

Bold colors are used throughout the home, as shown here in the dining room.
Bold colors are used throughout the home, as shown here in the dining room.

Katie described their East Memphis-Colonial-Yorkshire area as being very walkable. “We also love the history of these neighborhoods and think it’s super cool when we go on walks, that we can walk right by the house that was Elvis’ home before he moved to Graceland,” said Katie. “We eloped, flying to Vegas and were married in the Graceland wedding chapel by an Elvis impersonator. So, it just feels like a cool connection we have to where we live now.”

Emily Adams Keplinger is a freelance reporter who produced this feature for the Advertising Department.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: My New Home: Mid-Century House Retains Original Charm